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Monday, February 13, 2012

New York Fashion Week Notes

It's a (New) Wrap!

Diane von Furstenberg CollectionPhoto credits: firstView.com

Diane von Furstenberg knows a thing or two about evoking a mood with each collection; she does so in a way that is always sophisticated and very European or, should I say, international. This is at the heart of her sensibility. This season, she called her fall collection Rendez-Vous and in her show notes, she spoke about the "suspense and expectation" that accompanies a rendez-vous. Being 'cloaked' in layers meant to be unraveled. She describes her woman as "glamorous at a moment's notice", "ready for anything", being certain of herself and "confident".

Let's face it, she is talking about herself and using herself as the ultimate role model. And why not? Accomplished, talented, driven, passionate, and successful, she certainly has the bragging rights to do so. More importantly, with each passing season, she has proven that she has morphed from a dress designer, to a designer of a fully realized lifestyle collection. And she always puts her own spin mark on it.

In a season where many designers are jumping on the black bandwagon (and understandably so since it is always a crowd favorite), DVF also used noir, sometimes mixed with ivory, to good advantage, but did not shun away from what has always been her strong suit: appealing and unexpected mixes of strong hues, thus providing a clear option. This time around, the designer is apparently in love with different shades of red, rose, ruby, wineberry, raspberry, scarlet, obsidian, and raspberry. Her collection is nothing if not about offering choices and options. Every shape, length, silhouette, and proportion is addressed: there are jersey dresses (she unveiled a new wrap style), body conscious jersey separates, kimono halter dresses, borrowed from the boys' blazers and pants, and jumpsuits, which were shown beneath voluminous coats.

Tommy Hilfiger CollectionPhoto: firstView.com

Actually, this is shaping up to be a very strong coat season (they were the hands down winners at Tommy Hilfiger's evening show at the Armory) and Diane's were standout (from her black/ivory degrade wool hooded coat, to a duo in crinkle patent- one in wineberry and the other in black). There are hammered satin blouses, 'surreal' embellishments that sparkled from afar, and while there were fewer prints and patterns than in previous seasons, the bold ones she used were offbeat and interesting: quotation marks, keyholes, scattered puzzle pieces, and a surreal hand print that was evocative of Elsa Schiaparelli. Considering that the famed designer will be honored, along with Miuccia Prada, at the upcoming exhibit mounted by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, that seemed a fitting nod.

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Lookonline.com is the longest publishing online fashion site in the world. It was launched first as a BBS service in 1993 and has been on the Internet since December 1994. The DFR: Daily Fashion report is also the first fashion blog and was started in early 2002 as the site's main news page. Before launching the site, I was for many years a New York fashion photographer.